How a PV Cell Works

A photovoltaic cell is the heart of a solar electric power system. You’ve likely seen them in the form of solar panels, converting light into electricity used to power a home. But how, exactly, does a photovoltaic cell work? There are materials that exhibit a property called the “photoelectric effect,” which allows them to absorb light photons and release electrons. The electric current that results from the capture of free electrons can be used as electricity. Photovoltaic technology is based on the photoelectric effect. This effect was first observed in 1839 by Edmund Bequerel, a French physicist. He found that electric current is produced when certain materials are exposed to light. Albert Einstein would eventually win a Nobel Prize in physics for his work with the photoelectric effect; he first described the nature of light and this effect in 1905. Bell Laboratories bu...